♛Cameron Dawson♛
When I walk onto the track, I feel all eyes on me and most of the gazes are cold and filled with disappointment. I guess it's not everyday you see your once unbeaten champion walk in after a loss, now is it? I had to admit- it isn't easy. Being the unbeaten champion brought about a lot of power and control here in the track which is something you got to have in this line of business if you want to be successful. However, I don't regret giving my title to Harley. She'll always be remembered as the girl who beat me.
I greet Carlos, the bartender, before taking a seat.
"What'd you want?" He asks and I scratch my chin.
"A glass of whiskey, por favor." I say and he nods, stalking off to pour a glass for me. Mason soon takes a seat beside me and places a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Hey Cam. How are you doing?"
I run a hand through my hair and sigh. "I'm fine. Harley on the other hand..."
I've known Mason since I've stepped foot on this track and even though Caleb is my best friend, I've always felt a lot more relatable to Mason simply because our worlds are so similar. I know that he's involved in a gang and is far from innocent which is why I feel like I can trust him. He helped me save Harley, no questions asked, and has being asking about her ever since. Of course I would never tell him the whole truth about me, I'm not going to put his life on the line either, but I know he knows I'm not clean and yet he still accepts me like that.
"I'm sorry man. How's she taking it?" He asks sympathetically, asking Carlos for a beer when he slides my whiskey to me.
I shrug. "She's on edge and very jumpy."
Mason purses his lips. "You gone to the police or something?"
I nod. "Got a friend in the force."
Mason sends me a sideways glance. "Why would someone wanna take Harley? You got yourself into some deep shit?" He asks and I take a sip of my drink.
"I'm from Colombia." Is my response and I watch as he nods to himself, knowing what kind of business I was in. Colombia is known for drugs.
"You sure your cop friend is trustworthy? Those bastards are sneaky shits."
I don't hesitate to nod my head. "Yeah man. He knows about my dirty dealings."
"I hope he gets the asshole bro. If he doesn't, I'm always here though and I know how to shoot a bullet through a head."
I almost chuckle at his words but find the situation too serious to do so. "Thanks for helping me Mason. You got no idea how much I appreciate it."
He gives me a smile. "You're my friend Cam, I got you."
I smile at him, appreciating our friendship. I've never being a fan of them but I know I can trust Mason. He's a good guy.
"By the way, Sam really liked Harley."
I smile to myself. "Speaking of Sam, how's she doing?"
He shrugs. "Good, worried about what went down but not surprised considering she's dating me."
I nod with a breath of a laugh.
"I've being meaning to ask, what the fuck happened Cam? Losing your title to Harley?" He asks incredulously before letting out a low whistle.
"It's a long story but I had to."
Mason shakes his head. "She must be one special girl if you care enough to give something like that up."
A soft smile eases its way onto my face as I think about how she, indeed, is very special. I down the rest of my whiskey and check my watch. "I got to get going but I'll see you around Mason."
He smiles widely at me. "Aight, see you around."
I turn around in an attempt to leave when I almost stumble into someone. When I see the face of this certain someone, I scowl.
"What?" I snap harshly, in no mood to play with Ryan today.
"Look who we have here." He smiles maliciously. "Cameron Dawson- no longer the champion."
I roll my eyes. If he's come here to rub it in my face and call me out, I'm not interested. I got bigger, more serious, shit to deal with then his attempt to boost his ego.
"Fuck off Maxwell. I'm not in the mood." I scorn, moving to leave when he puts his hand against my chest. I look down at it, pushing his arm off. His eyes take on a deadly glint and I know this is going to be another fight. "Back off Ryan."
He raises a brow. "Why should I? You're no longer above me Cameron. You're not the champ anymore."
I scoff, Mason standing up beside me to ensure no fists are thrown. "At least I got the title for a while, what have you gotten?"
Ryan growls.
"Y'all need to chill before Emery flips his shit," Mason warns us but Ryan ignores him, stepping towards me. I clench my fists.
"Ey!" Carlos calls us both out. "I don't want no fighting in this bar."
"It isn't a fight if only one person has a shot at winning." Ryan says before I feel his hand smack against my jaw. I stumble backwards, having not expected that. I rub at my jaw, looking up to a smirking Ryan before I chuckle.
"You son of a bit-" I don't finish my sentence when I punch him square in the stomach. He gasps for air and Mason steps between us, pushing me back while I try and lay into Ryan. The guy is a fucking asshole. My nostrils flare in anger and Mason smacks me out of it.
"Get your shit together."
I blink away my anger, shrugging off his hands before scowling at Ryan. I push my way outside, my jaw throbbing all the way and I climb into my car before driving off. My anger is still high but I try to keep it in check. Violence runs in my blood which is exactly why I need to learn to control my anger so that I don't do something I shouldn't.
When I arrive outside of my apartment building, I check my jaw in the mirror to see a blue bruise forming on it. I curse under my breath and climb out, walking into my apartment. I close the door behind me and when I turn around, I connect eyes with Harley who is sat on the couch. Her eyebrows draw together when she sees me and she's approaching me in seconds.
Her eyes widen in worry when she takes note of my bruise. I'm about to say something when she touches it softly and pushes my head to the side to see it better. "What the hell happened?"
I sigh, pushing her hand away. "I just got into a fight with Ryan. I'm fine though."
She kisses her teeth. "I really don't like that guy."
"Neither do I."
She shakes her head. "Go sit on the couch, I'll get ice."
"You don't have to do that. I'm fine." I tell her and she rolls her eyes, walking to my freezer anyway. I sigh at her stubbornness and go to my couch before taking a seat. She comes to me and stands in front of me, holding up ice wrapped in a cloth to my jaw.
I hiss at the sudden contact and she mutters an apology. I take the time to observe her appearance and notice her wavy hair falling down her back naturally while she wears a pair of jeans that make her legs look glorious as well as one of my hoodies that covers her tiny body. I take note of the concerned look on her face and feel my heart ache for the girl in front of me.
She means the world to me.
"I like you in my clothes." I comment and she looks down at it with a light blush.
"Sorry I took it. It just brings comfort."
I smile, moving my head so that I can look at her. Harley continues to hold the pack to my jaw.
"I'm not mad. You look good in it." I respond honestly and she smiles. I lean up to connect my lips with hers. She drops the ice pack and immediately responds by moving her own lips and I almost groan when she runs a hand through my hair. I pull her closer- not liking the space between us- and she sits on my lap, straddling me while we kiss passionately.
This is paradise.
I break away from her kiss and pepper some down her neck, holding her close to me so that I can feel her. She arches her neck and I smile against her skin.
"Danté." She murmurs and I freeze, my lips lingering against her skin.
Danté.
I feel her sit up straighter and she immediately pulls back, her face panicked and worried. "Shit- I'm so sorry Cameron. I don't why I said that. I was just getting carried away and it just slipped ou-"
"It's fine." I tell her. "I actually like it when you say it." I respond honestly and she looks at me disbelievingly.
"Really?"
I nod. "That's who I really am and I actually kind of miss being called that. Plus, it sounds extremely sexy coming out of your mouth."
It's true. When I first changed my name to Cameron, it took a lot of getting used to and even though it's my name now, I'll always be Danté Barbosa.
"I like it."
I smile up at Harley. "Just don't say it in public." I tell her and even though it saddens me, I'm glad at least one person can call me by my real name when we're alone.
"Okay, Danté." She teases and I rub my thumb over her lip.
"You have no idea how beautiful you make it sound."
She smiles softly to me. "Thank you for trusting me."
I press my lips against hers and pull back for just a second. "Thank you for trusting me."
Harley watches me for just a second before kissing me again, pulling me closer to her and making sure that I'm not going anywhere. As we kiss passionately on the couch, the both of us glad to have met someone to be real with, I cannot help but wonder whether this will beeeze over or if we have a storm coming our way.
Because I'm not ready for a hurricane.
****
Harley knocks on the door to her apartment and it's opened within seconds before Audrey is embracing Harley in a tight hug.
"I was so worried."
Harley lets her know that she's fine for what seems like the millionth time before Audrey smiles and lets us in. I give her a smile when I enter and she scowls at me.
"Oh great, it's you- the guy who is stealing my roommate." She rolls her eyes and I enter, rolling my own.
Ever since Harley told Audrey about her moving in with me for a while, Audrey has tried to sway our decision. Little does she know that we're doing this for a much bigger purpose. It's clear she still hasn't accepted it.
"You wound me." I reply and she rolls her eyes, following Harley into her room.
"You just got here and you're already moving out." I hear her grumble to Harley.
"I told you it's only for a little while. It's not permanent."
I hear Audrey scoff before Harley opening her cupboard. "Sure. Once Cameron gets a taste of you one night, he won't let you go."
My lips twitch in amusement before I hear Harley gasp.
"Audrey!" She then dials her voice down to a whisper. "He can hear you."
I lean against the kitchen counter, and wait for Harley to return, with a soft smile.
"Oh whatever. He's a guy, he won't even deny it."
I roll my eyes at her stereotypical comment. It takes Harley another ten minutes before she comes out with a duffel bag over her shoulder and Audrey trailing her heels.
"Ready?" I ask her, taking the bag from her shoulder and slinging it over mine. She looks around her apartment and I can see how hesitant she is. I understand moving in is a big move and I would've wanted it to happen later on but given the circumstances... we don't really have the choice. This way, I can protect Harley better and she can feel safer.
"Yeah."
"Ugh. You should thank Harley that I'm not castrating you." Audrey snickers behind Harley and I raise a brow.
"Thank Harley?" I inquire and she nods.
"She needs that little fella of yours."
Harley smacks a hand to her forehead. "Please just shut up Auds."
Audrey lets out a snort and I roll my eyes, checking my watch. "We should get going."
Harley nods sadly before turning to a very disappointed Audrey. She holds Audrey at arm's length before smiling. "You're still my best friend and I'll still visit."
Audrey sighs but nods anyway. "I know."
They both hug each other and I feel guilt eat away at my heart that I'm forcing this move. I remind myself I have no choice.
Audrey pulls back and Harley turns to me with a smile, outstretching her hand. I intertwine our fingers and bid my goodbyes to Audrey before leaving the building.
When we're seated in the car, I turn to Harley. "I'm sorry you have to do this."
She shakes her head. "As long as it's with you, I'm fine."
I smile at the gorgeous girl before me. "Let's go."
This is going to be a long and stressful road because we both have an unknown enemy however, I know that if I have Harley by my side I'm going to be alright.
We're going to be alright.
•••
If you enjoyed this chapter, please give it some love <3
I'm going on holiday to Europe for the month of September so updates will be paused, unfortunately, but will resume on the 1st of October. Super sorry about that but I know I'll be too distracted to update and I definitely need this break. However, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (I updated today because tomorrow I'm leaving) and that you're okay with waiting. I'll see you guys soon ;)
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